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Tue, 10:24 16 Sep 2008 GMT17

 
AIDS in M.East

Last reviewed: 01-05-2008

Risk of complacency


Iranian girls hold a banner during a World HIV/AIDS Day ceremony in Tehran. December 2005.<BR> REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl
Iranian girls hold a banner during a World HIV/AIDS Day ceremony in Tehran. December 2005.
REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl
The Middle East and North Africa together form a region that has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS rates in the world. But AIDS experts warn that governments must do more to prevent its spread before it gets out of control.

  • One of lowest infection rates in the world
  • Islamic practices may have protected people so far
  • Explosion in infections feared if governments don't act now

    As with other regions, the people who are most at risk are also the most marginalised and socially stigmatised - intravenous drug users and their partners, sex workers and their clients, and men who have sex with men.

    In a region with conservative mores, and where discussion of extramarital sex is taboo, there is often little information available on how people can protect themselves.

    Many experts are also worried that there is not enough data collection, especially among those most at risk, to know how quickly the virus is spreading.

    Key facts


    People living with HIV/AIDS 380,000 (UNAIDS, 2007)
    Prevalence 0.3 percent (UNAIDS)
    Newly infected in 2007 35,000 (UNAIDS)
    Died in 2006 25,000 (UNAIDS)
    Treatment coverage 2006 5 percent (UNAIDS)
    Country with the highest prevalence rate Sudan

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